POSITIVELY CHILLICOTHE

New CHS cafe serves up learning, drinks

New Cavalier Cafe serves up learning in a coffee cup

Chris Balusik
Chillicothe Gazette

CHILLICOTHE - Chillicothe High School senior Evan Bethel is not unlike many other students his age when it comes to starting the day.

"I like to get every last minute of sleep possible, but I've always liked the thought of having a coffee in the morning before school and since we can't bring it in (to school), I'd have to drink it before school," Bethel said. "To me, I think I'd rather sleep until 6:55, 6:56, climb out of bed and get to school. Now, coming here and having the option of having a coffee first through third period, it's just a nice little wakeup in the morning and just knowing you have the option to get it is nice."

Bethel can thank the new Cavalier Cafe at the high school every time he rolls over and pounds the snooze button one more time. The cafe, which opened Tuesday morning to rave reviews from the student population, was created as a way to reward students within the regular educational flow of the day for their role in going along with several changes the school has implemented over recent years.

"(It's about) what we've done for really six years to really add layers, whether it be from an instructional practice standpoint, holding kids accountable for their conduct in the classroom, in the hallways, in the community, in the athletic arena, wherever it may be," said Principal Jeff Fisher. "We wanted to look for a way to kind of look at our staff, look at our students and say we appreciate the way you've grown, the way you conduct yourselves as Chillicothe Cavaliers representing this school and this community."

As part of that search, there were state and federal guidelines that had to be considered. In terms of food and drink options, that meant observing healthy food guidelines and looking for ways to supplement the free breakfast and lunch program the school qualifies to participate in due to the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the district. An in-school coffee shop program Fisher found in New Albany provided an option that he felt could work.

"Everybody loves coffee," he said. "One of the things we honestly probably have fought more than anything else in my six years as principal is the fact we have a policy that says nothing but water in the halls of CHS outside of the classroom because of the obligations we have to ensure our students are acting in an appropriate manner from a healthy food choice and beverage choice aspect. Every morning, I was taking away two, three, four coffees from McDonald's that students were walking in with, so obviously coffee's a popular thing."

Fisher initially had talked with some teachers and students about what could be done to foster a more independent, college-like environment at the school, and one of the teachers, who is also a graduate student, commented that she learns better with a cup of coffee beside her for comfort.

"It seemed like an odd response to me at the time, but it seemed to be something that was pretty consistent when you talked to the students as well," Fisher said, adding that it was those responses that started the search leading to the New Albany program.

Working with food services director Ken Lovatt, Fisher explored what could and couldn't be done in terms of menu items, and Lovatt was able to provide about $1,000 in up-front money needed to purchase the necessary machinery and supplies with the provision that it would be paid back over time through a portion of the cafe's sales. They also were able to locate a company that could provide the necessary syrups for making drinks similar to what you may find at a high-end coffee shop, but that were low-calorie, low-fat options consistent with the healthy choices the district was seeking.

Student office workers were recruited and trained on how to operate the cafe, with tasks ranging from taking the orders to preparing the drinks to making classroom deliveries to collecting and accounting for the money — providing an educational component to some who may have never held a job before.

A final challenge became setting up a system that would create little to no disruption in classroom operations. What was settled on was a twofold ordering system with a quick in, quick out classroom delivery.

Students and staff have the opportunity to order at the cafe window itself from 7 to 7:25 a.m. After that time period, students have the option of placing an order during the first three periods of the day via their Chromebooks during the 10-minute bell ringer exercise that begins each academic class at the high school. The bell ringer consists primarily of either a brief review of a previous lesson or preview of that day's work that each student usually works on individually on their Chromebooks, making it a good time to place a quick order.

The students working in the cafe take the orders and prepare them by class, then others wheel carts on delivery rounds. Each worker at the beginning of a shift is provided a key that opens all classroom doors so they can just slip in, deposit the orders on a table, collect the students' money from the teacher and slip out again. Students then grab their order and return to their desks and the lesson continues.

The cafe, with both hot and cold beverage offerings at a cost of $1 or $2 per item, has not only been an early success in rewarding students and staff, but also in boosting high school participation in the free breakfast program. Fisher said many students who drive to school tend to arrive closer to the opening bell and choose not to make the long trek from the parking lot to the cafeteria where the free breakfasts are offered. Food services worker Mary Eblin said that each of the first days the cafe was in operation, however, it had to increase the number of free breakfasts brought to the cafe window to the point where 80 were taken on Thursday and 100 were planned for Friday.

Junior Olivia Eblin said she, like many of her classmates, was excited when she learned about the cafe.

"The strawberry mocha is definitely my favorite, it's so good," she said. "The lattes are really, really good and everything tastes almost exactly like Starbucks, it's not what you would think that it would be bland just because it comes from a school. It's really good."

Seniors Xena Stearos and Jenna Porter not only enjoy the cafe as customers, but also as student workers.

"Working in here, we're getting experience dealing with people and orders and how to count money," Stearos said.

"It's like working a real job," Stearos added. "The first day was crazy, awful. But the second day, we got it handled, we got it down."

If all goes well the remainder of this year, Fisher said operation of the cafe may become a class offered through the business department during the next school year.